Dave Thompson MSP

Dave Thompson MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch welcomed the announcement by the Transports Minister Keith Brown of the new franchise for the Caledonian Sleeper service to the Highlands from London.

After the Ministerial statement, Dave asked the Mr Brown: “I am absolutely delighted that Inverlochy Castle Management International is going to be involved with the franchise. How does the minister believe that that will benefit local Highland and Scottish businesses and indeed the consumers who will use the service?”

The Minister responded: “Let us put ourselves in the place of somebody who travels on the new service. When they step on to the sleeper train in London, they will be confronted with the best of Scottish produce, with the involvement of world-renowned chef Albert Roux and the Inverlochy organisation that Dave Thompson mentioned. That really starts to send a message about what we think of the service and what we want other people to think about it. With the attractiveness of the onward journey to the Highlands, we think that it will be a great selling point for Scotland with much wider benefits than merely the transportation of people from place A to place B.”

Dave said later: “It is great news that Lochaber based Inverlochy Castle Management International will be providing the best of Scotland’s great larder on the new service. News that is to be welcomed from the scallop divers in the West to the animal husbandries, vegetable growers and fruit pickers in the East.

“Excellent news too that the rail services, maintenance depot and jobs in Inverness and down the line are secured with the addition too of further apprenticeship opportunities.

“The wider impact of course is that the service supplied to Highland folk and tourists alike is to have a huge £100million investment in quality rolling stock, station enhancements, ticketing and information provision. For the Highland and Island tourist industry this is enhancing to a very high quality an important conduit bringing more customers and business into our wonderful island and mountain environment.”